Food-News Round-Up: Bees in Your Backyard

by Michael Y. Park

on 10/16/09 at 11:57 AM

The Backyard of Milk and Honey: Hey, city folks, don't you hate how you have to trudge all the way to the grocery to get your honey? Why don't you invest in an urban beekeeping kit,
which will probably annoy your neighbors no end until you give them
free honey for the first time. (Wonder what the honey from those
flowers on traffic islands tastes like.)

luv d new twitter wine, lol! Yes, Twitter has officially taken over the world, and is starting its own Twitter wine label, with the proceeds going to an educational charity.

Five Books Every Cook Should Have: The Atlantic Monthly lists its cooks' canon (well, the categories, with personal examples): a good reference book, a pastry book, a Junior League book, an Italian technique book, and "a book to nourish loved ones." A Junior League book?

Calling All Chefs! The Bocuse d'Ore USA Foundation is looking for chefs to rep the U.S. in the Bocuse d'Or International Culinary
Competition in Lyon in 2011. Apply here.

Move Over, Pickles: Is kimchi the next big pickled thing? Judging by the coverage in the NY Times and a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, artisanal kimchi company, bets are on "yes."

Things That Shouldn't Be Caffeinated: SFoodie covers the bizarrely buzzworthy, from caffeinated sunflower seeds to caffeinated Bloody Mary mix. Wait, that last one kind of makes sense to me.

Teas for You Too: The Celestial Seasonings people read my mention of them a couple weeks ago and sent over samples of their new lines of green teas, which greatly expands their variety (Goji Berry Pomegranate Green Tea!). They also sent some of the first variant of their venerable and bestselling Sleepytime Tea (technically a tisane, right?), Sleepytime Vanilla, which definitely is vanilla-y.

Yes, by all means, a Junior League cookbook! They're great social commentary. Plus, that's where you'll find the recipe for spinach dip when someone INSISTS that someone [else] has to bring it for the potluck!